Embryonic development of the ornamental shrimp, Urocaridella arabianensis Akash et al., 2020

The ornamental shrimp, Urocaridella arabianensis Akash et al., 2020 is a recently discovered colourful species from the Agatti Island, Lakshadweep, India. The present study is a preliminary investigation of embryonic development and fecundity of U. arabianensis. The study was conducted at the Germplasm Resource Centre of ICAR-National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources (NBFGR), Agatti Island, Lakshadweep, India, from January to June 2021. The study documented three reproductive cycles of the species during the study period. Fecundity of the female ranged from 170 – 189 oocytes (mean 182±5.0). The incubation period i.e. the period from spawning to hatching of the species, was 14 to 16 days (mean 15±0.75 days), and the embryonic development was completed through nine stages. Study also report synchronous increase in the size of embryo along with morphological changes and continuous reproductive activity during the study period. This information on the reproductive biology of this species will help develop sustainable production of the species for ornamental aquaculture.